C-washer removing pliers



March 13, 1956 c. E. STILLWELL 2,73 7,837

C-WASHER REMOVING PLIERS Filed July 16, 1953 United States Patent-071ccc-wAsHER REMOVING PILIEiiS Charles E. Stillwell, B'eaverton flregiApplication July 16, 1953, Serial No. 368,397

1 Claim. (Cl-81 15) This 'invention'rela'te's generally to'toolsandmore'pa'rticularly to hand 'tools' of a specialized nature.

It should be understood" that in electronic apparatus such as radiosets, television'se'ts"; andsi'rnilar apparatus many ofthecomponenfpartssucli"ascondehsrs, potentiometers, and the like, arerequired to be adjustable. Each of these adjustable components areusually designed to have a frame member adapted to be fixed to a supportwhich is equipped with either a reference pointer or a dial. The framemember will then have a cylindrical bearing supported therein and ashaft will be rotatably supported in the bearing and have an endprotruding axially from the bearing to carry a pointer or dial to matewith the dial or pointer secured to the support.

It has become almost universal that the above noted component shaftswill be of one quarter inch diameter round metal stock and that theshaft will be located axially with respect to the frame or bearing by aC washer set in an annular groove of rectangular section cutcircumferentially about the circumference of the shaft. These washersare usually of the simplest possible form being simply cut from a flatsheet of somewhat malleable metal and having a uniform circular outerperifery and a uniform circular inner perifery with a single radial slitbetween the inner and outer periferies.

When installed such a washer is opened sufficiently at the slit to goover the shaft at the groove cut therein and then the washer isdiametrically squeezed into the groove to be closed to a substantiallycircular shape with the slit substantially closed.

This construction is simple, economical, and takes but little spacewhere space is at a premium. The difficulty with this construction comeswhen the component must be serviced for any reason and the C washer mustbe removed.

No previous device known to me has been available for the removal andre-installation of these washers. It is customary for the serviceengineer to force a relatively sharp screw driver blade into the slitand twist and pry with the screw driver and an additional screw driveror long nosed pliers until the C washer is crowded out of position andcan be removed.

I have found this method of removal of the C washer both time consumingand exasperating. It is therefore a principal object of this inventionto provide a tool by the aid of which such a C washer can be easily andquickly removed from the shaft.

It is a second object to provide such a tool by the aid of which the Cwasher can be kept under control while being removed.

It is a third object to provide such a tool by which the C washer can beremoved without the mutilation thereof.

It is a fourth object to provide such a tool by which the removed 0Washer can be replaced on the shaft and pressed back into its originalinstalled position.

It is a fifth object to provide such a tool which can be manipulated bythe service engineer with one hand leaving the other free to hold aflash light on for other duties.

2,737,837 Patented Mar. 13, 1956 It is a sixth object-to provide such atool by which-the pressures applied to the C washer willbe balanced atall times thus eliminating any tendency for the tool to slip out ofplace and damage the equipment.

How these and other objectsare attained is explained in the followingdescription of my tool referring to the attached drawing, in which Fig.l is a view in perspective of the tool of my'invention with the tool inthe operating. position it takes when its wedge shaped nose points arepressed completely into the slit of the 0 washer.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of my tool in the operative positionof Fig. lb'ut showing. in end view the sh'aft'and the C washerbeingremovedther'efrom.

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of the tool of my invention' with thetool in the operating position it takes when its nose points are spreadto open the C Washer.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of my tool in the operative positionof Fig. 3 but showing'in end view the shaft and the C- washer beingremoved therefrom.

Like numerals of reference refer to like parts in the several figures ofthe drawing.

Referring now to the drawing it is seen that my tool includes a pair ofhandles 11 and 12, hingedly secured together by hinge rivet 13. It is tobe noted that handle 12 is offset as at 14 in order that handles 11 and12 will operate hingedly in the same plane.

Pivotably secured to handles 11 and 12 by hinge rivets 15 and 16respectively are tongs 17 and 18 formed at their outer ends with nosepoints 19 and 20 respectively.

In Figs. 2 and 4 is shown a shaft 21 from which a C washer 22 is in theprocess of being removed.

Tongs 17, 13 are formed with flat abutment faces 23 and 24 adapted toabut in a plane including the axis of rivet 13.

Tension spring 25 hooked at one end, as shown, to tong 17 and at theother end to tong 18 urges the free ends of tongs 17 and 18 towards eachother, their movement being stopped in certain positions of handles 11and 12 by abutment somewhere along faces 23 and 24 and in otherpositions of handles 11 and 12 by abutment of tongs 17 and 18 againstpins 26, 27, respectively, fixed to handles 11 and 12.

With the tool of this invention when it is desired to remove C washer 22from shaft 21 the handles 11, 12 are brought together as shown in Figs.3 and 4, the tool is moved towards the C washer with tongs 1'7, 18 inthe plane thereof until faces 23, 24 of tongs 17, 18 arrive tangent tothe outer perifery of the C washer 22. Then on further movement of thetool towards the C washer, spring 25 yields and faces 23, 24 advancealong the perifery of C washer 22 until the concave ends 28, 29 ofhandles 11, 12 respectively, strike the C washer or shaft. At this timespreading of handles 11, 12 advances tongs 17, 18 until the free ends oftongs 17, 18 are beyond the C washer where under the urge of spring 25they abut along faces 23, 24. Then on gradual closure of handles 11, 12with ends 23, 29 pressed against 0 washer 22 or shaft 21 tongs 17 and 18retract until points 19 and 20 meet at the outer end of the radial slitin the C washer.

On further closure of handles 11 and 12 points 19 and 20 of tongs 17, 18are forced into the C washer to the inner diameter thereof and tongs 17,18 abut stop pins 26 and 27 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Still furtherclosure of handles 11, 12 until their free ends abut as shown in Fig. 3causes the free ends of tongs 17, 18 to spread the C Washer slit openuntil the washer can be removed from the groove in shaft 21.

When the component part being serviced is reassembled the opened 6washer can again be slid over the shaft in the groove provided for thewasher and the washer can be replaced into its original assembledcondition on the component part by engaging the C washer between theconcave ends 30 and 31 of handles 11, 12 and squeezing handles 11, 12together.

Having thus explained some of the objects of my invention, described andillustrated the construction of one form thereof, and explained itsoperation, I claim:

A tool adapted to remove a C-washer from an annular groove formed in theperiphery of a shaft, said C-washer comprising a circular disk with acentral hole therethrough concentric with the periphery of said disk anda radial slit between said hole and said periphery, and said toolcomprising a first handle member, a second handle member, a first tongmember and a second tong member, said handle members being pivotallyengaged near one of their respective ends, said first tong member beingpivotally engaged near one of its ends to said first handle memberintermediate the ends of said first handle memher, said second tongmember being pivotally engaged near one of its ends to said secondhandle member intermediate the ends of said second handle member, thefree ends of said tong members extending outwardly from the pivoted endsof said handle members to surround said C-washer in its plane, said freeends of said tong members at one relative position of said handlemembers forming a split wedge extending inwardly to engage said C-washerat said slit, the pivoted ends of said handles having means to urge saidC-washer at said slit onto said split wedge as their free ends are movedtowards each other from said one relative position in the plane of saidC-washer, and means adapted as said free ends of said handles are movedstill closer to each other to separate the free ends of said tong memberto open said slit in said C-washer to pass said shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,435,131 Jacobson Nov. 7, 1922 2,166,089 Brenner July 11, 19392,542,201 McDonald et al. Feb. 20, 1951 2,553,620 Yeazell May 22, 19512,594,789 Morin Apr. 29, 1952 2,651,227 Kennington Sept. 8, 1953

